Thursday, October 25

Spinach, Nutmeg, and Ricotta Pie and Manny Being Manny - It Doesn't Get Any Better

For dinner most nights Jeff and I put on some music, light some candles (more out of necessity than romance -- we don’t have a dining room fixture), and talk about our days. We look forward to this time together and would never think of spoiling it by turning on the TV. Well, almost never.

We live on the West Coast, so games start three hours earlier, around 5 or 6 pm. This means by the time we eat dinner around 7:00, the game is already half over. Now, we can’t be expected to miss it entirely, can we?

On these nights the food is usually fun -- comforting, low-maintenance dishes that make you feel like you're at the game while seated comfortably on your own sofa. To avoid gaining five pounds by halftime, I forgo take-out for homemade.

This past Sunday, we had spinach and ricotta calzones or pies, as we call them. These half moon-shaped baked pies are ideal football viewing food: their crispy exterior reveals a creamy ricotta-spinach filling that is salty, savory, and satisfying. And the best part is no silverware is required, so you can keep your eyes focused on the screen and not miss a touchdown (something for which I am notorious).

Oh. Jeff just reminded me that there is a third time TV is allowed during dinner:

3) A Red Sox post-season game. They're in the World Series again this year, and they trounced the Colorado Rockies in game one last night. I mean, what could be more fun than watching Manny being Manny and listening to Joe Buck's bantering? (Joe kinda grows on you).

Now unless you want your calzones to be as soggy as Fenway Park was last night, here are a few pointers:

*Use fresh spinach instead of frozen, if available, since it releases less water.

*Squeeze the water out of the spinach after cooking it.

*Season the spinach after extracting the water, so the seasonings aren't released. And don't be afraid to season generously with salt and other spices, since spinach is bland until dressed up properly.

*Nutmeg is an ideal flavor enhancer for spinach, but it can be intense. I suggest using it sparingly and tasting as you go.Spinach, Nutmeg, and Ricotta CalzonesPrint the recipe only here.Makes 2 large pies

Preheat oven to 500 if using a pizza stone or 425-450 if using a baking sheet.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook 1-2 minutes until wilted. Remove spinach from pan and place in a colander. Squeeze the spinach with the back of a spoon until the water is extracted, and it looks dry. Place spinach in a bowl; add olives, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, nutmeg, crushed red pepper, and salt. Mix well. Taste to make sure it is adequately seasoned.

To form the calzones:Working on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half, and roll into two 8-10-inch ovals. For each piece of dough, put half of the spinach-ricotta mixture a bit above the center of the oval. Fold the dough to form a half-moon; seal the edges together by pressing down lightly. Then using your fingertips, fold the edge of the dough up, and pinch around the edge to create a seal. Brush them with the 2 tsp of extra-virgin olive oil.

For a pizza stone, bake at 500 degree for about 10-15 minutes, or until both the top and bottom of the crust is golden brown.

For a baking sheet, bake at 450 for about 25 minutes, or until both the top and bottom of the crust is golden brown.

54 comments:

The calzone looks fantastic but I have to disagree about Joe Buck and the whole Fox crew. Did you cathc Stephen King's comment during the ALDS? He said that with Fox covering the games now there is 20 minutes between the top and the bottom of the innings. Enough of my rant - clearly sleep deprived from watching the game last night.

But even without purpose, candles are romantic!I love the calzone idea and spinach is my all time favorite. This combo looks fabulous. I'm a firm believer in fresh over frozen spinach! I try to keep a 3 pound bag from Sam's in the fridge and it doesn't go bad.

Trounced is right! This reminds me of spanakopita, but with no need for utensils. I made some "green monster cookies" for my blog last night. I'm a big red sox fan. I also went to Boston College, so tonight I'm getting a Boston sports double whammy:)Julie

We always light candles - have every night for more years than I'm willing to disclose...damn year 30...ooops, that's disclosure, isn't it! I've never made calzones - but with the spinach, ricotta olive...I am tempted. very tempted...

Bradley-Glad you like the calzones! I figure the Rockies have to play better tonight. We went to bed after the 7th inning; you might have too? So if you didn't get much sleep last night, tonight might mean even less.

Oh YUM. These look wonderful! I love the idea of the kalamata olives tucked in there, and I'm a sucker for anything made with pizza dough (I was staring at the top photo hoping against hope it wasn't puff pastry, which I don't do).

I have a gorgeous 4'x8' raised bed of spinach in the garden right now, but I'd probably have to decimate the entire thing to get 12-13 cups, and even then I'm not sure. Hmmmm. . . would probably be worth it, though. In any case, your wonderful recipe has been saved to del.icio.us! : )

Bedda matri, I didn't know that you Americans cooked our national Sicilian "scacce" (ska-tchee) or calzones or pie, as you call them. It's and excellent idea, I'll cook it when my wife's watching her tv novelas, as my grandmother used to...

In our household, televisions can live their entire lives without broadcasting sports [well, exceptions are sometimes made when the St. Louis Cardinals see post-season action]. Still, these beautiful calzones sound perfect for a movie night too, Susan--maybe popping in one of the Bourne DVDs and not missing a minute of the action. Hmmmm--maybe tonight, in fact.

I LOVE this title!!! Last night's game was just superb!!! I was holding my breath until the very end. And I agree that spinach, egg, and nutmeg are a great combination. I use the same things when I make a frittata or quiche. Go Sox! ; )

Anh-I'm a newbie to soccer. I don't know the rules, and I've seen maybe one or two games. I enjoyed them though.

Veronica-They're naturals together.

Kelly-Thanks!

Farmgirl Susan-It's a lot of spinach, but you know how it cooks down to practically nothing! Trust me, this pie is worth using the garden spinach. Thanks for saving the recipe too; I appreciate it!

Rosa-We are fine. Thank you for your concern.

Sue-We are well, thanks. It's great to hear from you again! That's an odd perk of babysitting, huh? ;)

Sra-Do you mean it's already shaped like a circular pizza? If so, I would not think it would work since the dough needs to be pliable and stretch over the filling. I suppose you could make a pizza out of the same ingredients, though I'd probably place a layer of mozzarella on the dough so the toppings would adhere. I do have an easy recipe for homemade dough if you'd like it.

Renzo-Well, you just taught me something new too. We owe a lot of our food heritage to Italians. Grazie!

Susan, your calzones look delicious. I know what you mean about the nutmeg. I was overzealous once while making spinach and ricotta cannelloni and it tasted soapy.... so I had to drown it with a very strong tasting sauce.

the calzones look superb ...would even taste nice in phyllo pastry . Its nice to know u guys have a peaceful dinner. Ours if often disturbed by the tele :( , but when we are with the whole family then its a proper dining table dinner.

You guys are soo cute and romantic... candle light, whatever the reason may be... :) For us, it used to be dinner together in front of TV, now it is going to two different rooms with our dinner to watch our respective shows... we do kiss each other's beer bottles before parting ways though ;)Love the calzone, the nutmeg taste must be sooo great!

I love the combination of spinach and nutmeg - something my husband taught me. I've made empanadas, but never calzones. Same idea, different culture. These look like my idea of perfect - for movie viewing!

Those look just awesome. For the longest time, my favourite pizza was a spinach, feta and bacon one served at my favourite pizzeria - I cna only imagine how fabulous these flavours would be in a handy calzone...

Good for you not turning the TV on every night. I often bemoan the fact that I married the TV monster ;-)